Suspended railway switch



April 4, 1933.

G. D FISH SUSPENDED RAILWAY SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Y INVENTOR 1 GL'Z6QPZDE'SIL Filed Feb. 17, 1951 April 4, 1933- G. D. FISH SUSPENDED RAILWAY swn'cn Filed Feb. 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Glerflliilsfi Wfl figwhwq ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 4, 1933 UNETED srarss I PATENT OFFICE GILBERT D. FISH, 0F PELI-IAM, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB T0 FRANK S'. LYON, OE

i MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 4 V SUSPEND-ED RAILWAY SWITCH Application filed February 17, 1931. Serial No. 516,463.

Among the objects of my invention is to provide an improved'switch for shlftlng a suspended monorail car from one track to a branch track. .Another object of my invention is to provide a track switch, adaptedto pass a goose neck hanger extending vertically beside the track rail between assuspendedcar body and overlying track wheels. Another object is to provide a switch in such a situation and adapted to be shifted by rotation on a longitudinal axis. Other objects have relation to providing switching means in such a situation for the main track rail and also for a lateral guide rail, providing suitable supporting structures at the switch,,providing mechanism for the application of power in operatingthe switch, and for locking the switchsecurely in its operative positions. All these objects and other objects of my invention will become apparcut on consideration or" an example of practice in accordance with the invention which I will disclose in this specification. It will be understood that this disclosure relates principally to this particular example of the :the switch; Figure 5 is a detail section on the line 55 of Figure 3, looking in the di rection of the arrows; Figure 6 is av section on the line 66 of Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows; Figure 7 is a section :on the'line 77 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 01": Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

track rails 14 and on these are suspended the cars 16 through the .goose'neck hangers 15 and the doubly flanged wheels 17. 1 Parallel with the track rails 14 are guides 18 attached to the sidesof the towers 11. These guides 18' are at a level slight y below the bottom of the car 16. Extending laterally from'the bottonr of each car 16 is projecting arm 19, carrying a guide member in engagement with the guide 18. j j I j The foregoing description applies to straight track and indicates sufficiently the construction on curves. The followingdescription has reference more particularly to means for switching from one such main track to either of two diverging (branch tracks. Referring to Figure 2, the, main monorail track'is shown at 14 and the divergingalternative branchtracks are 14a and 14?). Between the rail 14 on one side and the rails 14a and 14?) on the other side lies the switch.

supporting girders 13 extends the I section girder 113. Attached to this and branching from it so as to form a Y-likestructure, there is another I section girder 114. The topplate overlies both I beams 113 and'114 and there is a corresponding bottom plate 116. These plates 115 and 116 arereenforced along their edges by the angles 110. The structure made up of the I beams 113 and 114 and the top and bottom plates 115 and 116 is rotatably mounted on the axis indicated by the reference numeral 117. Attached to the'end, of the girder supportingthe branch rail 14a is a projecting bracket 118 (Figure 4) and the corner of the switch structure rests thereon when the switch is in the position shown in Figure 3. On the opposite side there is a similar bracket 118 (Figure 3). i Similarly, but on a'smallerscale, just a the track rail is interrupted by its switch structure, so the guide rail 18 is interrupted by a switch structure consisting of thetwo branching guide rail sections 119 and 120 rigidly connected together in narrow Y form when viewed in plan and mounted to rotate on an axis 137 (Figure 9) parallel with the axis 117 of the main switch showniin Figure 3, The guide rail switch is shownin Figure 2 in position corresponding to a connection of the main switch from the track rail 14 to the track rail 14a. When the main switch connects rail 14 'to 145, the branch 120 of the guide rail takes the position shown in dot and dash lines at 120. Figure 7, which is a section on the line 7--7 of Figure 2, shows how the ends of the guide rail sections 18 and 18 are supported. The transverse support 121 carries channels 122 and 123, the latter having its upper flange and part of its web cut away near its end, as at 124, so as to give clearance space for certain members carried on the bottom of the car. When the car goes straight through from track 14to 14b in Figure 2, the guide member carried by the arm 19 connects with the guide 18, but when the car goes from track 14 to 14a, as seen in Figure 2, the guide member carried by the arm 19 connects with the guide 18. I V

The guide engaging arms 19 on the cars 16 are located midway of the length of each car, as shown in Figure 2. Since the guides 18' areslightly below the car bottom, the car corners as at 125, 125 and 125 can swing out and overhang the guides as shown in Figure 2. When the connection is straight fromtrack 14, through segment 14 to track 14b as seen in Figure 2, the guide rail sections 18, 119 and 18?) are in strict alignment. WVhen the connection for the track is from 14 through 14 to 14a, the front end of'the car proceeding from left to right begins to swing to its right before the guide 19 does so, and untilafter the guide 19 passes from 18 to 119, the car must swing a little towards its left.

A supporting structure for the track rails and the guides is shown in Figure 8, which is a section on the line 88 of Figure 2. There is an'overhead transverse supporting member 126, which may be supported in any convenient manner. Depending therefrom is an arm or hanger 127, and at its end this hanger 127 carries the usual longitudinal girder 13 and the overlying fixed rail end 14?).

Also depending from the overhead member 126 is another hanger 127 supporting the end of the girder 13 which carries the track rail 14a. Thus a clear space is provided between the two girders 13 and 13' for the pase of the gooseneck 15 when the car goes frbm track section 14 to track section 142), or vice versa.

. The necessary length ofthe switch is determined by the necessary clearance for the gooseneck 15 and the maximum practicable curvature that may be given the track rail.

' As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the switch is set to connect the track 14 with the track 14a. The switch structure is supported at three points; at one end by its projecting pin 128 attached'to the switch structure at 129 and resting in the journal bearing 130 in the end of the girder 13; and at the other end by a similar projecting pin 128 connected to the switch structure at 129 and resting inthe 3 and 4, and the journal pin 128' carries a worm wheel or worm wheel segment 131. It will be seen that this lies between the opposed aligning ends of the stationary track girder 13 and the movable switch girder 113.

Engaging the worm wheel 131 is the worm 132 on vertical shaft 133 driven through a pair of bevel gears 134 from the electric motor 135. Thus, by application of power from the motor 135, the switch structure comprising theI beams 113 and 114 and the topand bottom plates 115 and 116 will be rotated about its axis 117 so as tolie either in the position shown in Figure 3 with the corner resting on the bracket 118, or in the position indicated by the dotted line 115 in Figure 3 with its corner resting on the bracket 118. Figure 3, the track rail 14" is on top and connects between the main track rail 14 and the diverging track rail 14a. Also at this In the full line position shown in V time the switch carries a track rail section V 14 on its under side. When the switch struc ture is rotated 180 degrees so that itscorner; v

rests on the bracket 118, this puts the rail section 14" on its under side and brings the.

rail section 14 up to the upper side in align-. ment between the stationary rail sections 14 and 14b.

In each end of the switch structure there are holes as shown at 138 and 139 in Figure 6 and in the adjacent stationary structure there is a locking pin that will look into either hole to hold the switch definitely at either of its operative positions of adjust ment. 7

I claim:

In combination, an overhead structure carrying a main track rail and two diverging track rails for a suspended car and also car- 

